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by Deb Shaw
Focus on Nature XIV (FON XIV) has announced they will open in November, 2016 at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) in Jamestown, New York. It is an exciting collaboration between two institutions dedicated to continuing the tradition of natural history illustration. RTPI is a beautiful facility with exceptional exhibition space.
The entry deadline for FON XIV will be March 16, 2016. They will be posting the on-line entry form on the website (and I will hopefully receive an email alert as well, so I can post it to the BAGSC blog). Please check the FON website often as they are in the process of updating.
BAGSC and ASBA members have been well represented through the years in the FON exhibitions. Visit the FON website to view artwork from past exhibitions and award winners.
Stay tuned!
posted by Deb Shaw
BAGSC member Rita Hopper has two botanical pieces in the Tustin Art League exhibition at the Tustin Senior Center.
The show is open on weekdays, from 9 am – 4 pm, and will run from September 10 through October 1, 2015. There will be an opening reception on Friday, September 18th from 6 – 8 pm.
The Tustin Senior Center is located at:
200 South “C” Street, Tustin, California 714.573.3340.
The Tustin Art League consists of visual artists and is a program of the Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts (TACFA). The organization’s mission is to provide a venue that contributes to the growth of each member, and to enhance the visual arts within the community to enrich and energize citizens of all ages.
Congrats Rita!
by Deb Shaw
Medicinal plant map of the United States of America, David Rumsey Map Collection, 1932. Author: National Wholesale Druggists’ Association, Edwin Newcomb. Publisher: Einson-Freeman Co., Inc., New York.
The year 1932 was a year of transition for the pharmacy industry. Historically, medicines had been compounded from plants. Botanical gardens and botanical art had originated with physicians describing diseases and the plants and other natural compounds used to treat and cure them. In the 1930’s however, pharmaceutical companies began to explore new synthetic drugs in the lab with increasing success.
The National Wholesale Druggists’ Association responded by producing a map of medicinal plants and highlighting their knowledge and skills in using them. Botanical illustrations of medicinal plants are shown as a border for the map, as well as in each of the States (minus Alaska and Hawaii) where they grow or are cultivated. Each illustration is accompanied with the Latin name and a description of the plant’s medicinal use.
The text in the lower right corner explains:
“It is important that the public does not lose sight of the fact that the professions of Pharmacy, Medicine, and Dentistry, each give an essential service, which must not be impaired or destroyed by commercial trends. The public and the professions will suffer equally if these services are allowed to deteriorate.
In pharmacy the public should understand something of the breadth of knowledge required of the pharmacist. Few people realize the extent to which plants and minerals enter into the practice of pharmacy, and how vital they are to the maintenance of public health. It has been stated that upwards of 70 per cent of all medicines employed are the products of plants. The more important vegetable drugs are obtained from about two hundred different plants which grow natively in different parts of the world. …”
More information is available in the Slate article by Rebecca Onion, “A Depression-Era Medicinal Plant Map of the United States.” The map is available for download (including in a high-resolution format) and prints are available for sale on the David Rumsey Map Collection site.
Thank you to the GNSI member that posted the link to this map, and my apologies for not being able to find the original post so I could locate your name and give you proper credit!
by Deb Shaw
BAGSC members Margaret Best and Melanie Campbell-Carter have been accepted into the 18th Annual International American Society of Botanical Artists at The Horticultural Society of New York.
Margaret Best, Echinacea purpurea or purple cone flower, © 2015, All rights reserved.
Margaret’s 8.5 x 11 watercolour on paper is of a Canadian native Echinacea. She writes, “There are two Echinacea natives species in Canada. The one shown is Echinacea purpurea or purple cone flower—the species widely harvested for medicinal use. It has also become popular as a cultivated flower in Canadian gardens, as it brings a final splash of colour at the end of summer and into the fall. The specimens I used came from my daughter’s beautiful front garden that she inherited from the previous green-fingered owner of their new home in Ontario, Canada.”
Melanie Campbell-Carter, colored pencil, Pseudobombax ellipticum, shaving brush tree, © 2015, all rights reserved.
Melanie submitted a Pseudobombax ellipticum, also known as the shaving brush tree. She writes, “The tree was in its full blooming glory this past March on the island of Kauai. Depicting the sturdy strength of its stems and buds, and the delicate profusion of vivid pink stamens, was not only an enormous challenge but also a fantastic and joyful process. As we spent our days and weeks together, I developed a great affection for my ‘shaving brush.’ I am so thrilled to have been able to translate a gorgeous, living thing to paper in such a way that it continues to speak to others!”
Congrats to both of you!
Are there any more BAGSC artists who have been accepted? If so, please send me an email with an image.
A Little About the International ASBA/Hort Exibition
Each fall, the Annual International American Society of Botanical Artists at The Horticultural Society of New York exhibition is held at the Hort in mid-town Manhattan. It is the ASBA’s longest running collaboration. Past exhibitions are posted on the ASBA’s website; this year’s exhibition will be posted as well.
The Hort’s Gallery encourages gardeners and artists alike to appreciate the creative intersection between art and nature. Exhibitions showcase emerging and established contemporary artists inspired by horticulture, botany, landscape, and the environment.
by Beth Stone, posted by Deb Shaw
Camellia japonica ‘Guilio Nuccio’ with Camellia japonica ‘Horkan’ and Camellia wabisuke ‘Sukiya’, watercolor by Beth Stone, © 2104, all rights reserved.
The winter months are Camellia show season. This year, BAGSC members will have a Camellia Painting Exhibition at Descanso Gardens, Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18, 2015.
The BAGSC Camellia Painting Exhibit will take place in Van de Kamp Hall, just inside the main entrance, in conjunction with the first Camellia flower show of the 2015 season. Camellia shows are exhibitions of hundreds of individual Camellia blooms presented for judging by amateur Camellia growers. Blooms are placed into classes based upon Camellia Species and characteristics such as nominal bloom size and culture conditions.
Each show has about 25 individual classes. Each class is judged by one of several teams of three judges. The teams select first place blooms of each cultivar entered in the class. They also choose multiple first place blooms from each class that merit further judging. All judges present, typically about 20, then vote for the top blooms in each class, evaluating the first place cultivars against one another. The ballots are tallied and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place from each class is determined. Winners may choose crystal “trophies” or may accumulate points throughout the show season, which are then converted into a gift certificate redeemable at Nuccio’s Nurseries.
Camellia Grand Prix, by Janice Sharp, colored pencil, © 2014, all rights reserved.
Southern California has a consortium of five different Camellia Societies which conduct Camellia flower shows nearly every weekend from mid-January to mid-March each year in locations ranging from Bakersfield to San Diego. The January 17 and 18, 2015 exhibition at Descanso is the Pacific Camellia Society’s 50th annual show.
The Camellia Painting Exhibit and Flower Show will be open to the public:
Saturday January 17, 2015 1:00 PM (pending completion of the flower show judging) to 4:30 PM
Sunday January 18, 2015 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Admission to the Camellia Painting Exhibit and Flower Show is included with admission to Descanso Gardens. General admission is $9. Seniors 65 and over and students are admitted for $6. Children (5 to 12 years) are $4. Descanso members and children under five are admitted for free. There is ample parking at Descanso and you can also get a quick, easy and tasty lunch at their café.
Descanso Gardens is located near the intersection of the 210 and 2 freeways at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, California, 91011. It is a 20-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles, depending on traffic.
Allow time on your visit to Descanso Gardens to take a walk through the Camellia Forest and visit the Camellia room in the Boddy House. You may also want to explore the newly opened natural Oak Woodland.
Minato-no-haru Camellia, by Clara Josephs, watercolor, © 2014, all rights reserved.
More information about the Camellia Societies and Camellia culture can be found at http://www.socalcamellias.org.
Nuccio’s Nurseries will also have an exhibit in Van de Kamp hall for the duration of this show which will be packed with examples of everything currently blooming in their Nursery. If you haven’t been to Nuccio’s, you owe it to yourself to see one of Southern California’s nursery treasures. Everything Camellia and Azalea can be found at Nuccio’s.
Want to volunteer to help with the Camellia Exhibition?
BAGSC volunteers are needed to help
- Stage and hang the show on Friday, January 16, 2015.
- Stay with the exhibit all weekend while it is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, January 17 and 18, 2015. BAGSC volunteers supporting the exhibit will provide information to the public about BAGSC and our art form and will handle any sales. [There will also be at least one Camellia Society volunteer on hand at all times while the exhibit is open to talk with the public about the Camellias on display.] All BAGSC members are invited to volunteer and help support the show; you may volunteer regardless of whether or not you have work in the exhibition.
- Help with taking down and packing up the exhibit on Sunday, January 18, 2015.
An email blast went out to all BAGSC members with a call for volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Beth Stone.
See you there!
by Deb Shaw
Exhibition catalog cover, “Following in the Bartrams’ Footsteps”
ASBA’s traveling exhibition, Following in the Bartrams’ Footsteps has arrived at its final venue in Northern California, in the beautifully restored Julia Morgan-designed Girton Hall at the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley. The exhibition will be on display from December 15, 2014 – February 15, 2015. Consisting of 44 original works shows the native plant discoveries made by father and son, John and William Bartram throughout the Eastern United States from the 1730s through the 1790s. This exhibition at UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley is the only West Coast showing.
View the artwork on the website and see a list of the artists and artwork in the exhibition. The Garden is also offering three notecards from the exhibition in mixed packages of six or individually, sold in their Garden Shop. All proceeds benefit the Garden.
Three lectures are being offered as part of the outreach around the exhibition: Carol Woodin, ASBA Exhibitions Director, is giving a lecture today, December 19 about The Legacy of the Bartrams. Dr. Peggy Fiedler will present Fathers & Sons: A Journey with the Bartrams, Hookers and other Famous Families in Western Botanical Science, Art and Exploration on Saturday, January 31, 2015 from 1 pm – 3pm. The third lecture, titled Maria Sybilla Merian: A Passion for Plants & Insects will be given on Thursday, February 5, 2015. To register, and for more information, visit Bartrams events page on the garden website. Additionally, Catherine Watters will teach An Introduction to Botanical Art with graphite, colored pencil and watercolor on Thursday, January 22 and Friday, January 23 from 10 am – 4 pm each day. All levels are welcome. Registration for this workshop is also located on the Bartrams events page.
Catherine Watters, ASBA Director, developed a fundraising campaign that enabled the exhibition to come to California. A catalog of the exhibition may be purchased from ASBA’s website through ArtPlantae.
Exhibition hours for Following in the Bartrams’ Footsteps are 10 am – 4pm daily during days when the garden is open. Driving directions, admissions information and other information are available on the garden’s website. The University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley is located at 200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley, CA 94720-5045. Phone: 510-643-2755.
While you’re visiting the Bartrams’ exhibition, be sure to stop in and see Plants Illustrated: Following the Garden’s Path, the 6th Annual exhibition of botanical art, featuring work by the Northern California Society of Botanical Artists. This year’s exhibition focuses specifically on plants in the Garden’s collection. The exhibition will be on display January 7 – February 15, from 10 am – 4 pm. There is an opening reception on Saturday, January 24 from 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm where you can sip wine, meet the artists, and see the show. Registration is required, and can also be found on the Bartrams events page on the garden website.
by ASBA, posted by Deb Shaw
Susan Sapanara, Hydrangea quercifolia, Crimson Collar, watercolor on paper, © 2014, all rights reserved.
The Horticultural Society of New York and the American Society of Botanical Artists will be having a “Last Look Walkthrough” of the 17th Annual International Exhibition, with exhibition artists and juror on:
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Free for NY Hort and ASBA members
$5.00 for non-members
Join ASBA and The Hort, meet some of the artists and enjoy a seasonal cocktail during this reception and walkthrough of the annual exhibition. Each year ASBA’s Annual International presents the genre’s most established artists alongside emerging talents from around the world. Chris Murtha, Curator at The Hort calls botanical art “…a genre that is pushing well beyond scientific illustration and coming into its own.”
Artists Carrie Di Costanzo, Ingrid Finnan, and Monika deVries Gohlke will share their personal stories behind their work and offer a unique perspective on the work of their peers. They will be joined by exhibition juror Patricia Jonas, who will provide insight into the artwork selection process.
Registration for the “Last Look Walkthrough” can be found on Eventbrite.
Catalog cover image: Annie Patterson, Cynara cardunculus, Cardoon, watercolor on paper, © 2014, all rights reserved.
Catalogs for the exhibition can be purchased for $20.00 through ArtPlantae.
The New York Horticultural Society is located at 148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor, New York, New York. The 17th Annual International is on display through November 26, 2014.
Jurors Patricia Jonas, Marco Polo Stufano, and Catherine Watters selected 42 artworks out of 215 submissions from around the world. BAGSC members Joan Keesey, Lesley Randall, and Deborah Shaw have artwork in the exhibition, and Lesley Randall won the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Award for Drawing & Prints. The ASBA has posted the artwork and the artists’ stories behind each piece. Click on the links and on the ASBA website to see the artwork and read the artists’ stories.
by Kathlyn Powell, posted by Deb Shaw
I wanted to let everyone know about a terrific 25 podcast series on BBC Radio 4 called “Plants: From Roots to Riches” that might be of interest. Each podcast is approximately 15 minutes, and is free. All of the podcasts can be downloaded at the same time.
“Plants: From Roots to Riches” is a brief history of botanical science and our changing relationship with plants over the last 250 years—from tools, to objects of beauty, to an essential resource we have to conserve. Presented by Professor Kathy Willis, Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the series draws upon the archives, collections and scientific research at the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Additional information is available from the series main website, including clips, galleries and additional podcasts.
I found out about it from an article in my favorite magazine, New Scientist. Enjoy!
by Deb Shaw
A wonderful, talented crew of BAGSC members arrived with hammers in hand to hang the exhibition “Artists’ Favorites” at The San Diego Botanic Garden on Sunday, September 21, 2014. Lesley Randall had prepared labels in advance, with each artist’s statement about why their selected piece was their “favorite.” True to form, members brought healthy (and not so healthy) snacks, music and hammers, and the show went up in no time.
A few comments from BAGSC helpers:
“First and foremost, a great big thank you to Lesley for organizing a wonderful exhibition. And then a big thank you to the huge BAGSC crowd who came to hang the show, the family and friends who came with them and the lovely snacks. A beautiful exhibition and a great group to hang with!” —Deb Shaw
“I want to add my THANKS!!!; first, to everyone for coming down to help set up, but also for sharing your special works and your thoughts about them. It really adds a lot to the exhibit and helps visitors understand what motivates us to do what we do. I am certainly inspired to go out and find more plants to draw. I am so pleased to be able to bring this exhibit to SDBG! Thanks again for all your support and participation. Happy drawing and painting!” —Lesley Randall
“Yesterday was such a great example of what BAGSC is all about…working together to encourage one another and sharing our passion for all things botanical…it definitely is a team effort! Each time we have an opportunity to get together it is always so interesting to get to know one another better, and to learn from one another. A true blessing! Thank you!!” —Kirsten Rindall
“It sure looks fantastic! Great hanging job!” —Sue Kuuskmae
The exhibit will run from:
September 21, 2014 – November 16, 2014
at the San Diego Botanic Garden
in the Ecke Building
The exhibition is open for viewing daily, 9 am – 5 pm
Cost: Free with paid admission or membership
Artists include: Cristina Baltayian, Melanie Campbell-Carter, Diane Daly, Estelle DeRidder, Linda Ericksen, Cynthia Jackson, Susan Jackson, Clara Josephs, Joan Keesey, Suzanne Kuuskmae, Lesley Randall, Kirsten Rindal, Mitsuko Schultz, Gilly Shaeffer, Deb Shaw, Janice Sharp, Gayle Uyehara, and Leslie Walker.
The San Diego Botanic Garden is located at 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas, California 92024. The phone number is 760.436.3036.
If you have some photos you would like to add to the slideshow gallery below, please email them to Deb Shaw. If we didn’t get images of your work on the wall, our apologies. If we got any of the captions wrong, well, that’s Deb Shaw’s fault — please email her with corrections.
by Deb Shaw
The LA Arboretum and Garden Conservancy will present an event entitled “Natural Discourse: Light & Image“ on
Saturday, October 18
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Cost: $110 for members/$125 for non-members
Marion Brenner, landscape photographer, on light and photography in history and in the landscape.
This event is part of the ongoing series “Natural Discourse: Artists, Architects, Scientists & Poets in the Garden.” A collaborative project between the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley and a multi-disciplinary group of artists, writers, architects and researchers, “Natural Discourse” offers symposia, publications and art installations that explore connections between art, architecture and science in the garden.
This symposium features: Roger Handgarter, Ph.D., Chancellor’s Professor of Biology at Indiana University, who will speak about his work in photosynthesis, Jenny Brown who will discuss her work with the renowned Blaschka Collection of glass flowers at Harvard, artist Christian Thornton who will talk about glass-blowing, energy harvesting and agaves, photographer Marion Brenner who will talk about photography and light, and artist John Carpenter who will display his interactive digital works.
Roger Hangarter, Ph.D., Chancellor’s Professor of Biology, Indiana University, on light and the process of photosynthesis.
For more information about registration, call the Arboretum at 626.821.3237 or tickets may be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/772595
Christian Thornton, glass artist, founder of Studio Xaquixe, Oaxaca, Mexico, on glass-blowing, energy harvesting, and agaves.
The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden is located at: 301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, CA.
John Carpenter, interactive digital artist,
on interactive digital works based on natural systems.
Jenny Brown, curator of Harvard University’s Blaschka Glass Flower Collection, on the renowned collection
by Deb Shaw
Astragalus trichopodus with Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis, Common names: Locoweed with Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly. Estelle De Ridder, © 2014, all rights reserved.
In 2012, BAGSC member Estelle DeRidder was awarded an education grant from the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) to assist with creating sets of reusable plant identification cards featuring native plant illustrations from the Madrona Marsh Preserve in Torrence, California.
The Madrona Marsh Preserve, in collaboration with the ASBA has announced the opening of an exhibition of Estelle’s completed artwork, “The Flora of the Madrona Marsh” on Sunday, December 7, 2014, from 2 pm to 5 pm.
The exhibition will run from November 19, 2014 – January 9, 2015. Estelle also will make two presentations at the Madrona Marsh Preserve, one on Saturday, December 6, 2014 and another on Sunday, December 14, 2014, discussing botanical illustration and its importance in our world.
Information about Estelle’s project will be presented at the ASBA Annual Meeting and Conference in Denver, Colorado during the ASBA Grant Presentations on Friday evening, October 17, 2014 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.
The exhibition will then travel to the La Crescenta Public Library in La Crescenta, California from January 24 – February 28, 2015.
The Nature Center at the Madrona Marsh Preserve is located at: 3201 Plaza del Amo, Torrance, CA 90505. Phone: (310) 32-MARSH. The Madrona March is open Tuesday – Sunday, 10 am – 5 pm.
Congratulations Estelle!
Quercus Agrifolia, Coast Live Oak, by Estelle De Ridder, © 2014, all rights reserved.
Invitation to “The Flora of the Madrona Marsh,” original artwork by Estelle De Ridder.
by Cynthia Jackson, posted by Deb Shaw
“WORLD WIDE ART Los Angeles,” is an International Art show which will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, from 16-19 October, 2014. Scheduled at the beginning of the international art fair season, WORLD WIDE ART Los Angeles will unveil a powerfully diverse collection of contemporary international art. More about WORLD WIDE ART Los Angeles can be found on their website.
WORLD WIDE ART Los Angeles has invited students of art schools, members of art associations and art related groups to visit the show for free. To get your free tickets, click on this link to go to their VIP EventBrite site.
Are you interested in exhibiting in 2015? If so, click this link to view their criteria and application for next year.
An opening night premiere party will be held Thursday, October 16, 2014 from 5 pm to 10 pm, sponsored by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles. Show dates are Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18, from 10 am to 7 pm each day. Sunday, October 19 hours are 10 am to 5 pm.
WORLD WIDE ART Los Angeles will be held at the:
Los Angeles Convention Center | West Hall A
1201 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015
by Deb Shaw
Joan Keesey, Heteromeles arbutifolia, California Holly, Watercolor on Paper. © 2013, all rights reserved.
The 17th Annual International American Society of Botanical Artists opened on September 17, 2014 at The Horticultural Society of New York. The exhibition will run from September 17 – November 26, 2014.
Jurors Patricia Jonas, Marco Polo Stufano, and Catherine Watters selected 42 artworks out of 215 submissions from around the world. The exhibition includes works by artists from the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Israel, Japan, and the United Kingdom. BAGSC members Joan Keesey, Lesley Randall, and Deborah Shaw have artwork in the exhibition. A full-color catalog with all of the artwork is available at ArtPlantae for $20, plus shipping.
Lesley Randall, Ma’o hau hele, Hibiscus brackenridgei, pen and ink on board. © 2014, all rights reserved.
The ASBA has posted the artwork and the artists’ stories behind each piece. Click on the artists’ names in this posting and on the ASBA website to see the artwork and read the artists’ stories.
Congratulations to all of the artists in the exhibition and to the following artists who received awards at the opening reception:
The Horticultural Society of New York Best in Show: Annie Patterson
Eleanor Wunderlich Award for Excellence: milly acharya (Purple Passionflower)
Helen Gray Garber Award: Constance Scanlon
Susan Frei Nathan Fine Works on Paper, LLC Award: Asuka Hishiki
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Award for Drawing & Prints: Lesley Randall
Honorable Mentions: Ingrid Finnan (Yellow Dahlia), Haruyo Kawashima, Carrie DiConstanzo, and Tomoko Ogawa
Deborah B. Shaw, Cucurbita maxima, Buttercup Squashes and Section, watercolor on paper. © 2013, all rights reserved.
Botanical art workshops are being held in conjunction with the exhibition, and a “Last Look” reception with featured artists and jurors will be held on Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 6-8 pm.
The Hort is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. For further information, please contact Chris Murtha at The Hort, 212-757-0915 (x121) or cmurtha@thehort.org, or Carol Woodin, Director of Exhibitions, ASBA, exhibitions@asba-art.org, 866-691-9080.
By Arillyn Moran-Lawrence, posted by Deb Shaw
Arillyn Moran-Lawrence, “Elegant Syrah,” pen and ink on paper. © 2014, all rights reserved.
BAGSC member Arilyn Moran-Lawrence’s pen and ink drawing titled “Elegant Syrah” has been juried into the Lloyd Library and Museum fall exhibition. The Lloyd Library and Museum is one of the premier botanical libraries in the United States. The exhibition is titled “If Wine is Sublime.” The show runs from September 13, 2014 to December 12, 2014.
Can’t make it to the show? View the artworks online. The exhibition includes works in diverse media, including watercolor, oil, hand-woven tapestries, video, lithography and cast aluminum tile. Many of the participants are ASBA members.
The Lloyd Library and Museum is located at: 917 Plum Street, Cincinnati OH 45202. If you would like further information about the Lloyd Library and Museum, please contact Anna Heran, Exhibit Curator, 513 721 3707, or curator@lloydlibrary.org.
Congrats Arillyn!
BAGSC News 